Editing Fredericktown, Missouri (section)

===2024 Battery plant fire===
On October 30, 2024, the Critical Mineral Recovery (CMR) battery plant experienced a fire, causing explosions within the building. Residents north and east of Fredericktown were told to evacuate. The plant is said to be one of the largest [[Lithium-ion battery]] facilities in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kite |first=Allison |date=October 30, 2024 |title=Fire erupts in southeast Missouri at one of world’s largest lithium-ion battery facilities |url=https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/fire-erupts-in-southeast-missouri-at-one-of-worlds-largest-lithium-ion-battery-facilities/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Missouri Independent |language=en-US}}</ref> Two days after the fire, thousands of dead fish were found along 2.5 mile stretches of [[Village Creek (Missouri)|Village Creek]] and [[St. Francis River (Missouri-Arkansas)|St. Francis River]], believed to be killed by [[PFAS]] ingredients in firefighting foam.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bassler |first=Hunter |date=2024-11-04 |title=Nearly 3 miles of dead fish found in Fredericktown after battery plant fire, official says |url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/fredericktown-mo-battery-plant-fire-dead-fish-kill-updates-investigation-firefighting-foam-lithium-battery-fire/63-02253d7c-de87-450d-a324-c78b5d404b88 |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=KSDK |language=en-US}}</ref> CMR was recently acquired by Evolution Metals and intends to rebuild and expand [[lithium mining]] operations in the area, as does  U.S. Strategic Metals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krull |first=Ryan |date=2024-11-22 |title=Fire and fury in Fredericktown, but lithium-ion plant prepares to rebuild |url=https://www.stlmag.com/news/fredericktown-lithium-ion-plant-fire-critical-mineral-recovery/ |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=www.stlmag.com |language=en-us}}</ref>